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Reviews
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008)
Your first clue is "Lifetime Presents..."
Based on a fairly bland "best seller," this film - like most other Lifetime movies - played out more like a reenactment than an actual movie. The only difference here was that Meredith Baxter wasn't in it. The women in this don't age even over a span of like 20 years and the acting in general is pretty bad.
The characters in this were all cliché and one-dimensional. The story was of the cheesy nature. I wouldn't recommend it, but it's the kind of thing that people who loved the book and people who watch that network all the time will think is great. I only watched it because my girlfriend wanted to see it so she wouldn't have to read the book her sister loaned to her. It wasn't made for someone like me - my girlfriend cried a little at the end though, so she didn't think it was as terrible as I did.
The Man from Earth (2007)
Very misleading IMDb score...
This film was probably a fascinating piece of sci-fi writing, but as a movie it was a pretty weak effort. From the cinematography to the acting - this was a non-budget sci-fi channel original movie. Sub-career actors giving hammy performances - often skating the line of annoying.
I have to admit that the basic story here is very interesting and thought provoking. I can't say it was perfectly written, but this is science fiction. I think this would work good as a play. I'd also like to see this re-done with a better cast and director.
In the end though - there was nothing here that gave me chills or touched me in some special way or gave me any sort of epiphany like it seems to have done for so many others... At best it held my attention until the end.
It's very much average and mediocre - it will end up being the sort of thing people will reference in speculative conversations with their friends to help them feel smarter. It will end up being shown to high school and college students by that hip and cool teacher. It's very accessible and gently challenges religion, so it's perfect for that.
I've definitely seen better science fiction movies - with or without action or special effects.
Donggam (2000)
Highly Recommended
Wow... what a beautiful film. Sure - it had some problems, but overall I have to admit that I liked it alot. If you've ever seen Frequency (with Dennis Quaid), the premise will seem familiar to you. However, this film doesn't focus on the same things. Where Frequency was more of a "guy's movie", Ditto was more of a romance/drama/girl's movie. Even so - I liked it more than I did Frequency. Just to warn you - the following may contain some slight spoilers (depending on your definition of a spoiler), but nothing that would ruin the experience for you.
Ditto is about two college students (a young boy and a young girl) from different times who (due to some strange and unexplained phenomenon) are able to communicate with each other by way of ham radio. They don't realize they are in different times at first... They go to the same school and agree to meet at a certain location. They both show up, but since they are in different times their paths don't cross. After talking for awhile - they figure out that they are indeed talking to each other despite the fact that he is living in present day Korea (2000) and she is living in a very different (war torn) Korea circa 1979.
Now - the romance isn't quite between these two characters as one would think... if I explain too much it would give away the surprises...
The production values are top notch - the film and transfer look beautiful - as they should - but exceptionally so. The cinematography is outstanding. There is some great use of color throughout the film - especially in the beginning. The music is tranquil and beautiful and fits with what's being shown. As with most Korean films, this one is very stylish. Not so much in a commercial way - but in an artistic way. I found a few scenes to be too slow - plenty of slow motion shots... a few were unnecessary, but overall it added to the tone of the film.
It is a slow moving drama, so don't expect any of the excitement from Frequency. There are no murders to thwart or dead mothers to bring back. It still manages to be a powerful film though. I can't recommend it enough actually. It's certainly not for everyone - but if you like drama/romance - you're in for a treat with this film... as long as you can handle films with such a leisurely pace.
I should add that the acting is good - there are a few characters that are a bit one dimensional, but since they aren't pivotal to the main storyline it's forgiveable. I'll be honest here as well and say that it didn't end the way I wanted it to - still, I was satisfied with the ending. After almost 2 hours, I was wanting to see more. I like films with a time-travel theme, so I was excited to see it in the first place.
Sau sun nam lui (2001)
Love on a Diet is a decent flick
Love on a Diet is a romantic comedy about a woman who gained 200 lbs and is too ashamed of herself to reunite with her lost love. She meets and takes over the life of another 300 pounder who makes it his mission to get her skinny again so she can reunite with her love. I don't want to give away anything more than that, but once you start watching the film you'll see the plot developments coming a mile away.
This is a film that is basically about how fat people are miserable losers and thin people are happy and perfect. Bah... If you are able to look past the anti-fat campaign and all the political incorrectness going on, it's a pretty enjoyable film. Andy Lau turns out a decent performance, but certainly not his best. I often get the feeling that he's disgusted with acting in movies because he always seems to have that sort of attitude. Sammi is great in this film as the fat girl.
Technically, this film is nothing new... Fat suits have been around for quite some time. Andy and Sammi are both extremely petite people in real life, but they do a pretty good job of making them look obese. The make-up was good and included every detail - even the fingers were fattened up. Still - not one moment passed where the fact that they were skinny people in fat suits slipped past my notice. It wasn't quite as good as Eddie Murphy's make-up job in The Nutty Professor, but this was also a much tighter budget. I can't knock the job they did here too much though... it was indeed good enough.
The comedy was light and I chuckled a few times, but this was not a Stephen Chow film, so I can't expect to be rolling on the floor laughing myself silly. The romance was also light... as I said, the plot development can be seen from a mile away - mostly because you've seen it before. Essentially - this is one of those movies that you would describe as "cute" but probably not "spectacular" or "incredible"... just "cute". It's worth seeing, but you would be ok if you skipped it.
It's currently available on VCD and DVD from HK (fairly cheap too I should add). The DVD includes a Making-Of featurette and Trailers. The VCD is one of the best I've seen in terms of transfer quality and sound. Although, the prices only differ by 3 or 4 US dollars so it might not be such a big deal for someone to spring for the DVD unless they are on a budget (in which case, the VCD is very nice).
I'd rate this film 6/10 or thereabouts. I wasn't all that impressed with anything from the movie, but it was decent and worth my time to watch.
Siu Lam juk kau (2001)
Steven Chow goes High-Tech
This is a fantastic film. It has some cutting edge special effects, the cinematography is outstanding and the acting is top-notch. However, if you're a Steven Chow fan, you probably won't find yourself rolling on the floor in tears laughing. More likely you'll be on the edge of your seat in awe. Don't get me wrong - this film is still a Steven Chow comedy, but it's not as funny as many of his films. This film is a bit more mature than his past efforts. There's still the element of silliness here, but so much time was spent making the audience's jaw drop with special effects that there wasn't much time left for laughing. It's just good to see Steven Chow back on the screen again though.
Steven Chow plays a poor guy who's main focus in life is Shaolin Kung-Fu. He wants the world to learn Kung Fu and he thinks it could help everybody. He meets a man who wants to be a soccer coach and eventually they figure out that it would probably be a good idea to merge the two. This film follows the formula of many sports/comedies. The underdog team assembled from unlikely heros pitted against the uber team (here this team is even named "The Evil Team") trying to win against all odds and at all costs. This film has a new spin on the genre of course and it's a refreshing change. As in all Steven Chow films, there is a love story as well. Something for everybody. I haven't yet seen the extended version, but I'm eager to. I loved this film.
This isn't his funniest film by any means, but it's certainly his most technically advanced film. The thing that gets me is that they can spend so much time and money on the special effects, but then present the film with a terrible looping job. The audio is often out of sync as if it was rushed or else the actors didn't care when they went into the studio to loop all their dialogue. Still - I give this film an 8/10. I highly recommend this film - even to Steven Chow newcomers (just know that he's much much funnier than this in other films). It's available on DVD and VCD in HK - both very cheap from online retailers. The VCD is the shorter version and the quality is not that great, but it's in stereo instead of the left channel handling Cantonese and the right channel handling Mandarin. There are burned-in subs in 3 different languages (english included). The DVD has a DTS track and is the extended version of the film. Shell out the extra few bucks for the DVD if you plan to buy it (which you should).
Chuet sik san tau (2001)
Not very good
Reasons to avoid this film: bad script, bad action, bad effects, low budget, and just generally stupid. Reasons to see this film: Shu Qi, Kelly Lam Hei-Lui, Teresa Mak Ga Kei, Sophie Ngan Wing Sze, Sandra Ng Kwun-Yu, Rosemary, and Amanda Strang. This is basically Charlie's Angels meets Mission Impossible 2 on a shoestring budget (but they can afford to blow a few small things up and rent a helicoptor). Perhaps good for a rental or if you're obsessed with Shu Qi (in which case you would do better renting "Sex and Zen 2" or "Shu Qi - Body Show".
Virtual Sexuality (1999)
Absolutely Hilarious
I thought this film was a riot. It's a cute romantic comedy that actually has some comedy to it. All the nay-sayers saying "nay" must just be upset that they had to be witness to a few full-frontal male shots. Either that or they rented this hoping to get a porno. The title is a bit misleading I suppose, but the film is great fun. I wouldn't say it's a cerebral film, but it's not for dummies either. The dialogue moves fast and remains witty and smart. This film isn't trying to change the world, it's just trying to make the world fun for a few hours. Some reviews of it here seem like they were expecting Citizen Kane which I can't understand given the title. :)